My name is Michael Moore, and my STEP signature project was a study abroad experience in Spain. The class is a Human and Animal Interactions course (Animal Science 3797.03). To prepare for the trip I took Animal Science 2400.005. In this course, we discussed how history, culture, infrastructure, and geography can influence how animals are viewed and used in our society. We also took field trips to various locations such as Athens County Dog Shelter, The Wilds and Columbus Zoo and Buckeye Ranch just to name a few. These excursions allowed us to experience how animals are studied or used in a variety of ways. These weekend adventures and class discussions gave me a greater knowledge base for how we view and use animals in the United States so that I may compare these views on animals to the same human and animal interactions in Spain.

I grew up on in a suburb on the west side of Cleveland, and as a result, I have little understanding of the intricacies of raising animals and of the food industry in general. Due to my lack of knowledge I had always assumed that animal raising farms are loud, noisy and overall really cramped places. Most of my views on animal production were defined by Hollywood movies like “Witness,” or by little newsflashes about how PETA or a similar animals rights group were protesting a law. I had never actually challenged these ideas of mine until I had an opportunity to in Spain.

In Spain, I also had the opportunity to experience some cultural and political divides, unlike anything we have in the United States. This cultural divide exists over bullfighting. The cultural sport of Spain is not even legal across the nation and its territories and is opposed by half of all Spaniards yet the sport lives on. The political divide we got to experience was over the British territory of Gibraltar. The rock of Gibraltar is a small British port town located on the south coast of Spain, and its nautical importance has made it a hotly contested territory between the Spanish and English governments for Centuries.

In Spain, we visited a Manchego Sheep farm south of Madrid. Here at the farm, I was enamored with the details that dominated how the sheep were raised and how they were housed. This farm is in a very dry and mountainous region of central Spain so the housing of these sheep is very important.  The main housing barn separated sheep based on their milk production into 6 large pens. These pens have concrete flooring which is consistent throughout the complex but the floor is covered in straw to simulate the soft feeling of natural pasture. Massive windows spanned the sides of the barn letting in natural light and bringing in air from the outside. Despite the rocky conditions and dry soil outside this housing is extremely efficient. It eliminates the worms and parasites that sheep often pick up while grazing and keeps the sheep producing milk daily.

The next farm we went to was a fighting bull breeding farm outside of Seville. This was an eye-opening experience for me as I know very little of the culture surrounding bullfighting in Spain. At the farm, we got to see the behavior of the bulls in a more natural setting. Bulls are sold to the rings in sets of six and male bulls are likewise penned together in groups of 11 starting around the age of 2. It is common practice, to begin with, 11 in a group because over the course of time the bulls will often fight and end up breaking each other’s horns rendering them useless to the ring or in some cases the bulls will kill each other while dueling. We got to see this aggressive behavior as soon as we entered the fenced pasture with a group of 4-year-old bulls. Within the first five minutes of entering the pen, two bulls locked horns with each other in a duel. While I was a little nervous by this aggressive behavior the rancher leading us was very calm despite being in the general area of the dueling animals. This experience gave me insight into the very culturally relevant and divisive bullfighting industry.

While most of our trip was spent learning about Spain’s animal industries we also visited politically relevant places as well. When we first drove up to the rock of Gibraltar the first thing I noticed was how out of place it looked. The crag seemed to simply rise out of the rough sea and rocky shores beneath it. From a distance, it’s hard to believe this small mountain is so geographically significant. While on the rock we were shown around by a guide whose family had been on Gibraltar for eight generations. He was very passionate about his heritage and shared with us his views on national identity. He shared with us the true value of Gibraltar is its three dry docks which are the only dry docks in the Mediterranean, and are vital for repairs to ships taking goods across the sea. He also took us up to the top of the rock which the famous Gibraltar rock apes. These apes came across the Mediterranean from Morocco and live on top of the rock. They are very comfortable around people. They seemed to almost “pose” for pictures and even partook in social grooming in view of our cameras.

Before my trip, I had a very limited grasp on the culture and regional politics of Spain and a very poor idea on animal industries in general. This trip allowed me to learn about culture, politics, and industry all in one quick trip. I’ll admit I took this trip as a chance for personal growth. This experience didn’t really relate to my academic goals and I don’t plan on working in the food industry or in animal industries as a professional. However, I will always be able to share the lessons I learned and take these experiences with me for the rest of my life. If this trip taught me anything its that as long as I keep an open mind I’m sure I will find a use for the experience and knowledge I gained abroad.